Torah Portion:  Noach; Genesis 6:9-11:32

The story of Noah and the ark is one that most of us know well.  It is so well known, in fact, that Noah’s Ark decorations are available at every baby store and grace many a child’s nursery.  Yet it is somewhat ironic that these baby decorations find their root in a story that, when read literally, is a painful episode for humans, the world, and God.  In supreme disappointment with how humans have turned out (violent and evil by the Torah’s account), God decides to destroy not only the majority of the human race, but the entire world—animals, plant-life, and terrain.  The story of Noah and the ark is essentially the story of God’s Great Do-Over.  While the image of the ark and the dove and olive branch have become iconic, the images of a wiped-out humanity are largely ignored. 

Perhaps, however, this is the point.  After all, when Noah descends from the ark and steps foot on dry land, the first thing he does is offer thanks to God.  God, moved by Noah’s devotion and sacrifice, declares that this kind of devastation will never happen again, and that forever more the rainbow will be a sign of the renewed covenant between God and all of humanity.  To this day, when we see a rainbow, we are commanded to recite a blessing thanking God for remembering the covenant.  For me, this is the image I want  to hold on to.  In the world around us—as well as in our personal lives—we endure destruction, loss, and pain.  We live through miniature “floods” every day.  Just like Noah and God, however, we are not meant to dwell on the destruction; instead, we move toward re-creation, re-covenant, and recovery.  The rainbow is a symbol of this renewal—for Noah, for God, and for us.

For more insight on this week's torah portion and the holiday of Simchat Torah, visit urj.org/torah.

Shabbat Shalom 
Rabbi Annie